What does it mean to be thirteen years old:
body changing, hormones racing and one’s identity creating!
Some people say that working and ministering to junior high students is a calling. I agree. (See Galatians 2:20)
The eighth grade students at school drive me nuts! However, it is the kind of insanity that makes you want to come back for more.
Praise be to God that my most difficult students at Colegio Bilingue San Ramon are slowly becoming my best class. After some encouragement from my supervisor and the school psychologist – I firmed up my class discipline strategies and the students are responding well! Tough love, baby!
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Seven weeks into the school year, I was feeling a lot of pressure to prepare eight different classes throughout the week. Spread too thin, I began to fall behind in class work. All the signs pointed to a need for a change in my schedule. I was sacrificing precious time with my family and relationship with God to pour myself into books and papers. (Not exactly the Great Commission).
I knew that God had provided this job for me, but I also knew that investing in people had a greater eternal impact. I spoke to my supervisor and made some changes with my preparation, but my workload was simply too much! (My dad, a retired elementary principal of thirty years, commented that the average teacher has five classes to prepare: 8 – 5 = 3; I had 3 additional classes).
God again opened the door for me and I was able to drop two of my classes. My supervisor was completely understanding and totally willing to work out a new schedule. God is so good; He was preparing one of these classes for a Christian co-worker who was actually looking for more work!
As a result of the changes, I move from a 40 lesson week to a 30 lesson week. We are trusting the Lord to make up the difference with the decrease in salary of about $180 a month.
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
1 comment:
I know everything will work itself out! God is amazing in that way; I see it in my life every day. I am so excited that you have the calling to work with those 8th graders; it really takes special people to teach. It truly breaks my heart to see kids without a good teacher. I'll keep you guys in my prayers!
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